ponderosa pine

noun

pon·der·o·sa pine ˌpän-də-ˈrō-sə-

-zə-

: a tall pine (Pinus ponderosa) of western North America with long needles usually in groups of two or three

also : its strong reddish straight-grained wood

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Flora, Svoma and field hydrologist Zac Keller snowshoed into the ponderosa pine forest off Lake Mary Road and took turns jabbing a 60-inch-long tube into the snow in four places around an automated snowpack measuring device. —

Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2023 In 2002, the Rodeo-Chediski Fire burned nearly half a million acres of Arizona’s ponderosa pine forests, ushering in the first mega-fire, but not the last. —

AZCentral.com, 8 Jan. 2023 Here, streams have eroded down into Pine Ridge, a landscape of rolling prairie with some ponderosa pine on Ogalala Lakota lands. —

Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 10 Jan. 2015 This owl sparingly occurs in high elevation ponderosa pine forest. —

Shanti Lerner, The Arizona Republic, 5 Dec. 2022 Deep cool pools and ample cover from ponderosa pine trees serve as protection for the fish and are vital for their health and reproduction. —

Jake Frederico, The Arizona Republic, 27 Sep. 2022 Mingled with the ponderosa pine, Douglas fir and blue spruce are waves of quaking aspen at the higher elevations. —

Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 14 Sep. 2022 Diplodia can also infect other kinds of pine, such as Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), red pine (Pinus resinosa), mugo pine (Pinus mugo) and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa). —

Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 4 Sep. 2022 The fire's main fuel sources were brush, ponderosa pine and mixed conifer, the site stated. —

Angela Cordoba Perez, The Arizona Republic, 20 Apr. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ponderosa pine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin ponderosa, specific epithet of Pinus ponderosa, from Latin, feminine of ponderosus ponderous

First Known Use

1878, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of ponderosa pine was in 1878

See more words from the same year

Dictionary Entries Near ponderosa pine

ponderomotive

ponderosa pine

ponderosity

See More Nearby Entries

Cite this Entry

Style

“Ponderosa pine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ponderosa%20pine. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

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